BY NOLAN RUTH
X – @RealNolanRuth
SPRINGTOWN— After a disappointing loss to open the year, the Springtown Porcupines have appeared to have figured things out after knocking off the China Spring Cougars for their third consecutive win over a very solid program. On the strength of a strong defensive performance, and behind a sophomore signal-caller, the Porcupines came away with a 28-23 win at home to close out non-district play.
“We’re just growing and maturing,” head coach Brian Hulett said after the win. “China Spring played well, so give them credit. But also, we could have ran and hid if we had been a little better. We’re so young and inexperienced, we start seven sophomores. So we’re just growing and getting better along the way.”
Both teams fought tooth and nail for any kind of momentum throughout the game, it was fairly low scoring until a very eventful fourth quarter.
Springtown got on the board first midway through the first quarter when Robert Lewis ran it in from five yards out to give the Porcupines a 7-0 lead. Just three plays into the second quarter, Chase Thompson got his name called on a four-yard touchdown run to make it 13-0 after a botched extra point attempt.
China Spring finally responded on the ensuing drive with Chrishon Gregory breaking through the defense with ease and cruising in from 20 yards out. However the Porcupines ended the half with a counter blow of their own. Quarterback Kaine Hill called his own number and found paydirt from eight yards out to bring the halftime score to 20-7.
Hill was the offensive spark for the offense behind a very strong performance from the offensive line. He amassed 137 yards on 10 completions and added 114 yards on 18 carries and a pair of scores on the ground.
“Without looking at the video I think we played really well with the offensive line,” Hulett mentioned about his front five. “We have been hard on them, and I think they rose to the challenge and I was proud of them. Kaine played really well as well. He had some moments under pressure, but he did really good.”
The defenses kept the pressure on in the third quarter, with the only points coming on a 32-yard field goal for the Cougars by Joseph Dickerson to make the score 20-10 going into the fourth quarter. That is when it started to get eventful.
After a Springtown fumble, China Spring took advantage and scored on a seven yard pass from Matthew Battles to Christian Trevino to pull within three points. The Porcupines then quickly drove down the field and found themselves with first and goal at the five yard line.
The first play was an incomplete pass. On second down, Ryan Kirk got the ball to the three yard line. Then on third down, Hill was able to get to the one before being stood up. Hulett decided to go for the touchdown and called for a handoff to Kirk, but the Cougar defense held and turned them over.
With its back at the goal line, China Spring’s offense took the field and Battles was immediately sacked in the end zone for a safety. Springtown took advantage of the momentum and went on a long drive that was capped off with a big touchdown run by Hill on fourth down from the 30 yard line.
Needing a big play, the Cougars offense came back out and got just that. Battles found Jakoby Bledsoe on the curl route and he made one cut to juke the entire secondary, opening up a hole for him to go 71 yards to score. However the two-point conversion was no good and it was still a five point game at 28-23.
China Spring still had all three timeouts and wisely used them as they stuffed the Porcupines around midfield. Springtown had to punt and the Cougars had just over a minute to go 99 yards after a spectacular punt.
China Spring was moving down field but ultimately did not have enough time. With two seconds to go Battles threw up a prayer from 39 yards but Riley Jackson made the interception for the Porcupines to end the game in thrilling fashion.
Springtown (3-1) will open up district 5-4A DI play next Friday at home against Fort Worth Southwest (1-3) who lost to Brock on Friday night. China Spring (1-3) will return home next week to face Brownwood (1-2) who was shut out by Waco La Vega this week.
